By Charlie Maybee
“Where Is Safe”, the latest single by indie rocker, Lenny Zenith, is fully embracing Pride Month with an ode to trans youth. Launched with a brand-new music video, 100% of all proceeds collected from the song will go to various organizations fighting anti-trans legislation like Southern Equality, Support Alabama Trans Youth, The Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline, and more.
Merging autobiographical storytelling with larger themes about acceptance and safe spaces, Zenith dreams of a world where trans youth don’t have to live in fear. “Had my parents not gotten me gender-affirming care when I was a teen transitioning in New Orleans a long time ago, I’d be dead” he recalls.
In the video, which doubles as a lyric video, we see numerous shots of trans and gender fluid teenagers going about their daily lives, which is a nice change in pace when so many trans based narratives are steeped in darker elements. Here we see trans teens with loving families and friends who support and validate their existence. All the while, Zenith asks the titular question “Where is safe? / Could you keep us safe?” prompting a call-to-action for listeners to begin creating space for more just a gender binary to exist in comfort.
The music yearns for a better tomorrow that is more inclusive the trans experiences, but it is not without the uphill legislative battles. Whether it is accepting transexual teens in high school sports or developing sustainable infrastructures for trans specific healthcare, there are plenty of challenges that have risen to the surface of cultural conversation, especially in the United States. Take the time to check out this video, and, if possible, donate to the organizations who act as the primary line of defense for trans youth (and trans people of all ages) against harmful laws that seek to diminish their existence.
“Where Is Safe” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The accompanying music video is also available on YouTube. Find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify and YouTube.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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